Cadiz, Ohio [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The second ground- breaking in January for an Ohio ethanol plant that is expected to create 107 on-site jobs and 60 contract jobs will have a $7.2 million payroll and is expected to pump $85 million in annual cash flow to the region.
Harrison Ethanol has received all necessary permits, with construction expected to begin in April, according to Dwayne Siekman, executive director of the Ohio Corn Growers Association. The plant is expected to begin producing ethanol in early 2007. On Jan. 20, officials broke ground on an ethanol production facility in Fayette County. The plant being developed by ASAlliances Biofuels is expected to create 58 jobs, produce more than 100 million gallons of ethanol annually and use 40 million bushels of corn per year. Construction is expected to start later this month and operations begin in mid 2007. Three other ethanol plants are in the planning stages in Allen, Coshocton and Defiance counties, Siekman said. “My administration is moving forward with Ohio’s commitment to biofuels, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, decreasing emissions and increasing opportunities for the Ohio biofuel and farm industry,” said Governor Bob Taft. The new ethanol plants confirm Ohio’s strength as an agricultural state and reaffirm the state’s commitment to renewable energy sources. During a 2004 trip to Japan and Taiwan, Taft and Harrison Ethanol representatives met with potential investors for the project. Partly as a result of the meeting, Itochu International, Inc., became the company’s first Japanese investor.
